That no further dif- ferentiation between the two groups was found in the present instance might well have been due to the comparative lack of ambiguity in the
structure
of the picture.
Adorno-T-Authoritarian-Personality-Harper-Bros-1950
(The situation is natural death, a child running away from home, or success achieved by their child.
) Here the woman is the somewhat more dependent.
(3: Low scorers 3:Y2, 9; High scorers, 2?
2, 5?
)
High-scoring women, like low-scoring women, tell stories in which the woman is the more dependent. However, the intensity of the personal rela- tionships is usually not as great in "high" stories as in "low" stories. Prejudiced women more often elaborate descriptions of disastrous situational factors, such as personal affliction or threat from the physical environment, that prompts the woman to seek the aid of the man, or, sometimes, they imagine
? THE THEMA TIC APPERCEPTION TEST
such dangers confronting the husband. Stories of a husband or son leaving for the army are often accompanied by an expression on the part of the woman of fearfulness lest the man be harmed. Several of the high scorers' stories of the man's return from war describe his afflictions. (p Affliction: Low scorers 3, High scorers w; p Physical Danger: Low scorers 6, High scorers I 6).
(p Death, p Affliction directed at male figure): The man is leaving for war. She fears that he will be killed or injured and that she will never see him again: (or) He has just come back from war, severely injured. (3: Low scorers 3, 5; High scorers 5? II. ) .
Both prejudiced and unprejudiced women apparently fantasy a role of de- pendency upon their male partners. However, in the case of the high-scor- ing women, the relationships involve less intensity of personal feelings than is found in those of the low scorers. The commonly fantasied death and injury to the man, in stories of the prejudiced subjects, suggest that un- derlying hostilities are present that prevent expression of more genuine affection.
PICTURE F5. The woman in this picture is usually described as sad by both low- and high-scoring women. She is experiencing feelings of guilt, fear, and/or shame. There is a small group of subjects, mainly low scorers, who minimize the intensity of the disphoric tone by saying that the heroine is only putting on an act, or that she has a temporary illness which she will soon overcome (4 low scorers, I high scorer). (It is interesting to note the similarity of the defense used by these women against masochistic behavior to that used by some of the low-scoring men against aggressive behavior. See discussion of stories told in response to Picture 8, below.
Other low scorers relate the girl's unhappiness to deprivation of love from her family or from a male sex object.
The story-teller identifies with a girl who is unhappy or anxious because she Is denied, or in danger of being denied, love and support from her husband or family. (Fs: Low scorers 5, 4; High scorers z, o. )
Subjects from both groups attribute the unhappy mood to the natural or accidental death of a relative (4low scorers, 6 high scorers). However, stories dwelling on the death scene are more often told by high scorers, themes of death or injury due to personal aggression are excessive among high as com- pared to low scorers (n Aggression: Low scorers, 8, High scorers 31). Many prejudiced women tell stories describing feelings of guilt and fear resulting from an aggressive act committed impulsively. The object of the hostile act is, in most cases, the husband or lover.
(on Aggression toward men): The heroine is overcome with grief because she has killed her husband or lover ill a fit of "passion" or "insanity" or she has just
I
? . THE AUTHORITARIAN PERSONALITY
witnessed his death (the morbid details are elaborated). (Fs: Low scorers 3, 3;
High scorers 5, II? . ! . )
The low-scoring women again describe more real involvement in love relationships while the stories of high scorers are suggestive of the same underlying hostility toward men as was referred to previously. The identi- fication of the latter subjects with the aggressor is obscured by techniques of rejecting the heroine for committing the act, attributing the cause to a temporary or permanent mental affliction, or by an outcome of punishment for the crime.
The results of analysis of stories to Pictures 3 and F5 corroborate the find- ings of the interview data. The tendency of low scorers to emphasize love in sexual relationships, and to describe unhappiness resulting from depriva- tion of love, is apparent in material from both sources. The open admis- sion of fears of inadequacy by some low-scoring women, found in the inter- view data, may be related to fears of loss of lov~ suggested by some of the T. A. T. stories of low-scoring subjects.
Responses in the interviews were interpreted by the interview raters as indicating underlying disrespect for and resentment against men significantly more often in the case of high-scoring women than in the case of low scorers. The fact that, in the T. A. T. , high-scoring women more often than low scorers produce stories of aggressive action directed at men or of permanent injury or death imposed upon them, substantiates the interpretations of the interview responses. Although the hostility is not admitted directly in either case, both the T. A. T. and interview material strongly suggest that such a trend is latent in prejudiced women.
PICTURE 8. As in stories told in response to this picture by men, both high- and low-scoring women describe an active and a passive figure. The low scorers identify more often with the submissive role, the high scorers with the dominant role (n Abasement: Low scorers IS, High scorers 7; p Abasement: Low scorers 2, High scorers I I; n Dominance: Low scorers I6, High scorers 34).
The themes produced by low-scoring men, referred to above, are not as common in stories of low-scoring women. Reference to aggressive intent is less often referred to in the themes of these women. When an aggressive act is described, the story-teller usually rejects the aggressor (n Aggression: Low scorers 6, High scorers 8; on Aggression: Low scorers I2, High scorers 6). More often, the active person is described as nurturant and helpful. He is a doctor or a priest, aiding a sick man (sometimes by hypnosis) or saying a prayer over a dying man.
(p Affliction, p Death of Object~ n Nurturance): A doctor is treating a patient in a psychoanalytic session or through hypnosis: (or) A priest blesses a dead or condemned man, emphasizing the dying man's virtues, his life achievements, and
? THE THEMA TIC APPERCEPTION TEST
their meaning for the future ~orld,and offering him hope for peace in the after- world. (8: Low scorers 6, 6; High scorers I, lYZ? )
High- more often than low-scoring women condemn the passivity of the reclining figure or give him little consideration except in so far as he serves as a tool of the hypnotist (n Passivity: Low scorers 14, High scorers 3; on Passivity: Low scorers 5, High scorers 10). Instead, they tend to identify with the active figure, who is often described as an exhibitionist and trickster. He seeks to control the actions of the other man, or to seduce an audience into believing in his superhuman powers. Some low scorers also describe a stage demonstration (n Recognition: Low scorers 14, High scorers 11; on Recognition: Low scorers o, High scorers 6) but the exploitive element is usually absent in their stories.
(n Dominance-Recognition): The hypnotist seeks the admiration of an audience, or of the man he is hypnotizing, for his powers to impose his will upon another. The audience is belittled as foolish for being "taken in. " (8: Low scorers I , o; High scorers 6, 3Yz. )
These differences in story content again suggest that the low scorers are more likely to empathize in emotional situations than are the high scorers. The latter often appear to be disdainful of passive individuals or of those who react affectively. The comparative inability of the prejudiced women to deal with their own emotions (see Chapter XI) is probably basic to this rejection of emotion in others.
PICTURE 10. Identification is with the one portrayed figure, who is some- times identified as a boy, sometimes as a girl, and in a few cases, as a woman. The religious theme is somewhat more readily responded to by low-scoring women than by low-scoring men. (The blandness of the responses by many of the men was discussed above. ) However, aside from one type of "high" story which projects external aggressive force, stories by high-scoring women tend to reflect very little involvement in the story content.
The most common expression of low-scoring women concerns an in- ternalized religion in which the hero appears humble and awed by the natural environment and stimulated to thought, creativity, and love of his fellow man (n Achievement: Low scorers 20, High scorers 1 I; n Deference: Low scorers 37, High scorers 20; n Nurturance: Low scorers 24, High scorers I4; n Sentience: Low scorers 30, High scorers I I; n Understanding: Low scorers 12, High scorers 7).
(n Sentience, n Deference, n Understanding): The hero is considering the prob- lem of what religion, life, God really mean. Religion and/or music serves to give him emotional support, peace, and serenity. He is sensitive, imaginative, thoughtful, gets real enjoyment from playing the violin. (10: Low scorers 6, 12; High scorers I, 3? )
The stories of high-scoring women are less intense. Many relate merely
? THE AUTHORITARIAN PERSONALITY
what is portrayed in the picture, sometimes making more concrete the vague picture structure.
The story is bland, consisting of picture description only, and being devoid of any creativity or sentience; e. g. , it is stated that the hero is playing the violin in church. He imagines he sees a vision of Christ. ( ro: Low scorers 3, z12; High scorers 9, 4:t2. )
Expressions of the meaning of religion to the individual are in terms of "giving oneself up to" religion rather than integrating it for everyday ap- plication. Stories are related in which the hero, as a result of inflicted suffer- ing, becomes a believer, allowing religious direction to decide his actions (p Affliction: Low scorers 7, High scorers 14; p Death of Object: Low scorers 7, High scorers 12).
(p Affliction, p Death ~ n Succorance): The hero or a member of his family is afflicted by a dreaded disease. He turns to God in the crisis and is reminded of the suffering of Christ. (ro: Low scorers r12, z; High scorers 3, ro. )
These findings offer further evidence of the greater sensitivity and need for understanding of the low scorers. That these qualities are incorporated into religious attitudes more often by low than by high scorers, was indicated by the differences between "high" and "low" responses to a questionnaire item concerning the importance of religion and the church (see Chapter VI), a finding which suggested a greater tendency in low scorers to have an internalized religion.
Findings from the questionnaire and from the interviews (see Chapter XVIII) suggest that the high scorers seek religion as something to which they can cling in defense against their own impulses and the threats of the mysterious supernatural.
3? Comparison of Stories Told by Low and High Scorers (Men and Women) to Pictures Depicting Minority Group Members. We expected Pictures 2, 4, 6, and 9 to elicit further information about the way in which high as compared with low scorers conceptualize the social roles of various
group members. The results tend to substantiate other findings regarding at- titudes of these two groups, but they did not differentiate the high and low scorers as sharply as did the pictures from the Murray series.
W e had expected the low scorers to identify more closely with the charac- ters shown in these pictures and to attribute more constructive behavior to them than would the high scorers. We had thought that the high scorers would view the characters more distantly, reject them more often, and tend to endow them with those traits of behavior for which these subjects had, in their interviews, condemned minority group members. As a matter of fact, since the pictures themselves were so expressive, both high and low scorers often describe the picture (the environmental situation) rather than tell a real story about it. They project less into the story than was the case with
? THE THEMA TIC APPERCEPTION TEST
525 the stories elicited by the Murray pictures. In many cases there was no real clue as to what extent the subject identified with the person in the picture. There was often no clear-cut expression of acceptance or rejection of the heroes, because the test instructions did not call for expression of atti-
tudes.
The problem of identification was complicated by the explicitness of the
activity in the picture. It was clear in most cases that our subjects did not closely identify with the slum area in Picture 4 or the crime aspect of Picture 6. In response to Picture 6, description of antisocial behavior, more specifically of aggression, can hardly be called projective and is certainly "pulled" by the picture itself. Many low scorers as well as high scorers reject any aggres- sive acts. The difference between rejecting the act and rejecting the person committing the act was not always apparent in the short themes produced by our subjects. Pictures 2 and 9 also, because of their lack of equivocality, limit the amount of projectivity possible. However, the overlapping is more in the area of both low and high scorers' identifying with socially acceptable activity-activity that is clearly "pulled" by the picture.
PICTURE 2. Certain differences, however, are apparent. The most common story told to Picture 2 is one in which both figures are described as "zoot- suiters" or young "jitterbugs. " Often our subjects, both high and low scorers, describe them as belonging to a minority group, usually Mexican or Negro. High scorers, men and women alike, more often than low scorers, reject the characters. They consider these people as immoral and antisocial. The men tend to reject them for their sensuality and for their carefree attitude, some- times describing them as "too sexy" and "too playful" (on Sex: Low scorers r, High scorers w; on Play: Low scorers o, High scorers ro. ) The high- scoring women condemn them for their offensive exhibitionism (on Recogni- tion: Low scorers 2; High scorers 14) and rebelliousness (on Aggression: Low scorers o, High scorers 8; on Autonomy: Low scorers 3, High scorers I 5)?
(on Aggression, Autonomy): Because the parents have not been strict enough with the girl, have not given her a sufficient amount of direction and guidance, the girl has gotten into trouble, has done wrong. The story proceeds with an attempt to put her on the right path, to teach her to do the "right thing. " (2: Low- scoring women o, r; High-scoring women 3, 5? . ! . )
(on Play, Recognition, Excitance, Sex): The story-teller rejects the characters because of the clothes they are wearing (e. g. , "I dont like people who wear that kind of clothes so that they can draw attention to themselves. ") or they condemn them as an inferior kind of individual (e. g. , "They are disrespectful citizens. " "Typ- ical zootsuiters," "criminal type," "typical jitterbugs who hang around the U. S. O. " "They are the kind who won't ever accomplish anything. ") They are accused of being noisy, antisocial, exhibitionistic, lacking seriousness. (2: Low-scoring men 2, 3; High-scoring men 4, 8; Low-scoring women 2, 2; High-scoring women 10? . ! , ro1:]. )
? p6 THE AUTHORITARIAN PERSONALITY
Low scorers tell stories with similar content, but the men in this group more often identify with sensuality and playfulness and the women more often with the exhibitionistic and rebellious aspect of the picture than do the high scorers (Men-n Sex: Low scorers 18, High scorers 19, not dif- ferentiating; n Excitance: Low scorers r6, High scorers s; n Play: Low scorers 34, High scorers 21. Women-n Autonomy: Low scorers 12, High scorers 2; n Aggression: Low scorers 12, High scorers 2; n Play: Low scorers 40, High scorers 2 2 ; n Recognition: Low scorers 2 5 , High scorers 14).
(n Play, n Sentience, n Sex, n Affiliation): The couple in the picture are out on a date having a good time, and finding real enjoyment in dancing or watching others dance. The subject is identified with the heroes and the needs expressed. ("They love to dance. " "They are happy together. " "They are having fun. " "This is a real pleasure for them. ") This thema often is combined with success of n Recognition. They have won a dance contest, are happy that they were awarded the prize, and are having their pictures taken. (2: Low-scoring men 8, II; High-scoring men 7, 6; Low-scoring women 9~, 7; High-scoring women 6, 4. )
A few high- and low-scoring subjects of both sexes place these characters in a situation in which social pressure demands that they give up their rebel- lious ways and conform. However, instead of condemning the rebellious youngsters, as the high scorers do, low scorers often attribute the behavior to a logical resistance to the demoralization that is likely to result from "racial" prejudice; and they usually conclude by saying, in effect, that in growing up the young people will learn to cope with the situation in more constructive ways.
Apparently the mechanism of projection operates in the T. A. T. situa- tion in a fashion that is similar to what has already been suggested as a factor determining some of the interview responses. It is those more primitive, un- sublimated forms of expression so often found in their fantasies (see stories told in response to Pictures Ms and Fs) that the high scorers project onto members of minority groups. Those desires within themselves which remain unsatisfied tend to be magnified and rejected in others whom they suspect of satisfying the same desires. It also becomes understandable why high scorers, both men and women, should reject the independence and non- conformity of the young people in Picture 2 when we remember that these subjects employ submissiveness as a means for denying underlying hostile feelings. Thus, we often find the high scorers defending their own submissive- ness by condemning as brazen the lack of submission suggested by the de- picted clothing and by what they interpret to be a defiant smile of enjoyment.
PICTURE 4? Stories told in response to Picture 4 by low scorers are, on the whole, more intense than stories told by high scorers. Low scorers tend to deal with realistic problems that face persons living in a slum area, such problems as how to earn a living, how to adapt to or to alter the poverty of the surroundings. Low-scoring women often describe thoughts and feel-
? THE THEMA TIC APPERCEPTION TEST
527
ings of the hero regarding his own life and his relation to society and social goals.
(n Cognizance, n Nurturance): The hero is a philosopher thinking of mankind, of life's pleasures or inconsistencies. He strives to contribute to social betterment or to counteract social injustice directed at society as a whole or toward a particular social group or toward a friend. (4: Low-scoring women 4, 212; High-scoring women 212, 2. )
(n Cognizance, n Abasement-intrapunitive type): The hero is ashamed of his past actions and his past egocentrism. He envies the life of the poorer people who allow themselves to enjoy more sensual and passive activity. He decides that he, too, would like to enjoy such a life. (4: Low-scoring women 4, 5; High-scoring women :Y2, o. )
The high scorers more often label the central character as a "typical East- sider" or as a "greedy Jewish businessman. " They also tend to reject the lack of order and cleanliness in the presented environment.
(on Aggression, on Acquisition): The hero is rejected as a "typical Eastsider," a "greedy Jewish businessman," "a queer duck," or as a criminal, or a beggar. He is up to no good. The rejected hero is about to commit a crime or has just committed a crime. He is disguised or hiding out. (4: Low-scoring men 212, 212; High-scoring men 4, 3~. ) (4: Low-scoring women 4, 2:l,f! ; High-scoring women 8, 5. )
High-scoring women again exhibit a tendency to project failure, afflic- tion, and death upon a father figure.
(p Failure, p Loss, p Death and/or p Affliction ~ n Succorance): The hero has spent his whole life seeking success. He is now very sad, feels defeated (because he has lost all his money, friends, status, or because he never had any money, status, friends, or because he is old and sick. ) (4: Low-scoring women o, o; High-scoring women 2, 3. )
(p Physical Danger, p Aggression): The hero is a victim of an aggressive or rejective press, enforced on him by the human or physical environment. (4: Low- scoring women o, o; High-scoring women 3, 312. ) ,
These differences in the story content reflect the ethnic prejudice of the high scorer and the contrasting concern of the low scorer over the welfare of society and the individual's role in that society.
That no further dif- ferentiation between the two groups was found in the present instance might well have been due to the comparative lack of ambiguity in the structure of the picture.
PICTURE 6. Picture 6 is commonly interpreted as a suspect caught by the police. High scorers often reject the suspect and identify more closely with the police authority. The high-scoring men, especially, describe the man in custody as a dangerous criminal, a Negro or Mexican with an innately weak character. (Men-on Aggression: Low scorers q, High scorers 34; on Autonomy: Low scorers 7, High scorers r6. ) He may have been involved in a strike or race riot for which he is condemned by the story-teller. Subjects
? szB
telling stories in which the suspect is depicted in this manner usually identify with the dominant authoritarian figures who bring the situation under con- trol and protect an imagined white victim.
(on Autonomy, on Aggression~n Dominance): The hero is rejected. He has committed a serious crime and the police have caught him. There is often some identification with the police. The suspect is described as a weak character, a Mexican or Negro, a dangerous person, or a person under the influence of alcohol; he is finally punished for his actions. (6: Low-scoring men 7, 7; High-scoring men 13, 13. )
Low scorers, in contrast, tend to identify more with the captured prisoner. They are more likely to attribute the cause of the act committed to a justified protest against social rejection or exploitation; i. e. , the man has either been striking for higher wages or fighting race prejudice. The attitude of the hero is usually a combination of fear and defiant rebellion.
(p Dominance~ n Autonomy, n Achievement, n Exposition): The story-teller identifies with a hero who has been involved in a strike or race riot or some petty crime. The police have caught him and have him under their control. The expres- sion of Autonomy and Aggression by the hero is a counteractive measure, fighting against an explicitly defined or implied social dominance or rejection (i. e. , employer exploitation, or race prejudice). (6: Low-scoring women 7, 9; High-scoring women o, 3? )
(p Dominance, Aggression~ n Harmavoidance, n Abasement or n Autonomy): The hero has been involved in a strike or race riot or some petty crime. The police have caught him and are unduly hard on him. He is afraid but tries to resist. How- ever, he gives up his resistance when he finds that it would be of no value. (6: Low- scoring men 8, 7; High-scoring men 4, 4. )
Here again the most important differences between stories of high and those of low scorers reflect their attitudes toward minority groups. The projection of instinctual desires upon a rejected individual, one of the common defenses of the high-scoring individuals, is apparent in the T. A. T. as in their more direct verbalizations of prejudices.
PICTURE 9? The portrayed characters in Picture 9 are seldom openly rejected. The high scorers find it difficult to reject them because they appear as "clean," or "neat," and seem to be acting in a socially acceptable way. High scorers often state explicitly, or imply by the uniqueness they give to the story content, that these Negroes are different from most Negroes.
Both high- and low-scoring subjects customarily begin their stories by describing the characters as "grandmother" and "grandson. " Both groups often say that the two people are having their picture taken. Although sub- jects from both groups attribute scholastic accomplishments to the boy, for the high scorers the accomplishments mean achieving a status that is only slightly above the slave position that they attribute to the other members of the family. The low scorers, who apparently identify more closely with the
THE AUTHORITARIAN PERSONALITY
? THE THEMA TIC APPERCEPTION TEST
529
Negro boy, project their own desires for success. They do not, as do the high scorers, limit the success to a minimum amount, implying inferior capacity on the part of the Negro.
Some of the low-scoring women emphasize the positive relationship be- tween the grandmother and grandson.
(p Succorance~n Nurturance): The grandmother and grandson are fond of each other and are proud to be together. She is helping the boy to solve a problem or reach a decision. She is encouraging the boy to go on to further learning and achievement. She is teaching the boy or is explaining something to him. (9: Low- scoring women z, s; High-scoring women o, %. )
Some of the subjects, high and low scorers of both sexes, interpret Picture 9 as two people watching something. For the low scorers it is more com- monly an enjoyable artistic performance. (Men-n Sentience: Low scorers 37, High scorers I6. Women-n Sentience: Low scorers 33, High scorers I1. ) The high scorers emphasize unpleasant scenes involving death and affliction (Men-p Affliction: Low scorers 4, High scorers 10; p Death-object: Low scorers 3, High scorers 8; p Aggression: Low scorers I I, High scorers I6. W omen-p Affliction: Low scorers 7, High scorers q ; p Death-object: Low scorers 7, High scorers I4; p Aggression: Low scorers II, High scorers I6).
(p Physical Danger, p Dominance~ n Abasement-Submission): An unpleasant scene presents itself; or an authoritarian figure representing police, a parent, or another socially dominant figure is demanding that the hero conform to his will. (9: Low-scoring men 4, z%; High-scoring men 6, 3%. )
Here again, low scorers express greater involvement in interpersonal re- lationships and more sensitivity to pleasurable stimuli in the environment than do high scorers; whereas the high scorers tend to be more concerned with environmental threats.
C. THE T. A. T. s OF MACK AND LARRY
An examination of the T. A. T. stories produced by Mack and Larry will illustrate in detail the present approach to the scoring and interpretation of this material; it will show how, in concrete cases, some of the differences be- tween high- and low-scoring men are manifest, and it will at the same time add something to the developing pictures of these two men.
These two cases were not chosen as those best suited for demonstrating the contribution of the T. A. T. to an understanding of "high" and "low" per- sonality structures. The stories of Mack and Larry are used, rather, as a part of our plan for following these two men through all of our procedures; this means that from the point of view of one concerned solely with the T. A. T. , the selection of illustrative cases is entirely random. This is probably
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THE AUTHORIT ARIAN PERSONALITY
a good thing, for it will be clear that we are not dealing here with dramatic instances of the T. A. T. at its best, but with virtues and faults and difficul- ties which appe4r in its ordinary application. .
In the previous discussion we have spoken only of trends in the stories of low and high scorers; it is not to be expected that all of these trends will appear in the record of any one individual. In examining the stories of Mack and Larry we shall be concerned with the particular combinations of trends that appear to be consistent with the responses of these two subjects on the Ethnocentrism scale, and we shall point out those trends which appear to be inconsistent with the E-scale scores. This analysis will be carried out against the background afforded by the preceding pages of this chapter.
Presented below are the verbatim records of the stories produced by Mack and by Larry in response to our regular set of ten pictures. The two sets of stories were obtained by the same (male) examiner. The figure in parenthesis immediately following the number of the picture indicates the elapsed time, in seconds, between the presentation of the picture and the subject's begin- ning of his story. The examiner's questions are given in parenthesis within the body of the story. The notation (Q-o) refers to a question about the outcome of the story, e. g. , "How does it turn out," (Q-m) to a request for elaboration or explanation of what the subject said immediately before, and (p) indicates a pause on the part of the subject.
After each story the ratings (on the I -5 scale) of the needs and press in the story are given. Tabulation of these ratings appear at the end of each set of stories.
The analyses of the stories, which follow the presentation of the tabulated ratings, were "blind" in the sense that the analyst was not familiar with any of the other material on these two subjects. All that was known was that Mack scored high, and Larry low, on the E scale. If these analyses accord well with what is already known about these subjects, and, more particularly, with the clinical material to be given later, they will constitute evidence in favor of the validity of the T. A. T.
1. LARRY'S STORIES
M 1 ( 5) It looks like a father and son. The son is a criminal and the father is ashamed of him. He has a look of sympathy and not hatred. He is probably in prison and is facing the electric chair. The father thinks of how much he has done for the son and can't understand why the son did it. The son is in the death cell and the father is seeing him for the last time. They had been talking but have now reached the stage where all they can do is to just think. The guard comes along and leads the son away.
n Aggression 3 n Nurturance 2 n Abasement 4 n Blamavoidance :z n Deference
p Nurturance 2
p Dominance
p Aggression 2 p Exposition 2 p Claustrum 2
3
? M5
THE THEMA TIC
n Cognizance
APPERCEPTION TEST
p Death of Object z
531
2 n Exposition 2
n Succorance on Rejection
3
2 (8) This is a picture of zootsuiters. They seem to be in a prison line-up; they were involved in a crime. They are either confident or trying not to show fear. The latter is probably more true. A gang is standing around them. This gang got together and went to stealing and they are now being taken up for investigation. They are pretty sure of being released to go home because it will be hard for the police to get anything on them. (Are they guilty? ) Yes, they are but they have been able to cover up. They continue with their petty crimes.
n Autonomy 2 n Affiliation 2 n Aggression 3 n Acquisition 2 n Blamescape 3
on Succorance
p Aggression 2 p Dominance 3 p Affiliation 2
3 (10) This is a father and mother grieving over the loss of a son in the war. They have just received word of his death. He was their only son. They are just thinking and saying nothing. The mother thinks of the son, and the father thinks of the mother to comfort her. He thinks of their life together and how it will be changed now. They had been very happy about the accomplishments of their son. They can't bear to think of the tragic end. Neither are crying, so they will con- tinue to make the best of it and will keep a stiff upper lip.
n Succorance 4 _ n Cognizance 2 n Passivity 3
p Succorance 2 p Death of object 4 p Affiliation 2
n Nurturance
3 n Affiliation 2
on Achievement 2
4 (12) This woman is a peddler. The man is a rich banker who is walking through the slums of New York. He is on his way home. He doesn't want to be snobbish and not touch the people. He feels out of his neighborhood. The woman is right at home here. Each goes his own way in sort of contrast of two lives-the rich and the poor. He walks this way on his way home from work each day, and does his best not to be too personal with any of them. He just wants to know what's going on for business reasons.
3 p Uncongenial Environment 3 3 p Lack 3 p Gratuity 3
n Acquisition n Seclusion
n Rejection
n Cognizance
(6) This is a young fellow who drinks a lot. His clothes are all messed up. In a dingy hotel room, he feels he has lost all of his friends. He thinks all of the troubles of the world are on his shoulders. He contemplates suicide. The trouble is with a woman he had an affair with. He doesn't know whether to injure her or destroy himself. (Q-m) To kill her or commit suicide. She isn't much good herself,
3 p Task 2 on Rejection 2
? n Abasement 4 n Succorance 3 n Aggression 4 n Sex 4 n Affiliation
n Counteraction 2 n Nurturance
n Understanding
n Rejection 2
p Uncongenital Environment 3 p Sex 2 p Rejection 4 p Death of Object 2
THE AUTHORITARIAN PERSONALITY
532
and he isn't too much better. He is in a mixed up mental state. He is pausing there to make some decision. (p) (Q-o) He will try to get revenge on the woman. (Re- venge for what? ) He has been going with her and giving her money and thinks of marrying her. She fools him and is unfaithful, going around with other men. He kills her.
6 (zo) This is a man caught in an alley by the police, just before commmmg some crime. The police were called and he is surprised. He tries to get away but the police have the upper hand. He is frightened for fear they will use their sticks. He is probably a man with a family-a good wife and two or three children. He is a no good, just working once in a while. He steals when he can and keeps it from his wife. (Q-m) She is a good woman and doesn't know he is that type of person. Since he has been caught, he knows she will find it all out. For this reason, he would like to get away from the police, but is afraid if he tries he will get shot. He just backs against the wall and lets himself get caught.
on Aggression 3 on Autonomy 2 on Acquisition 3 on Succorance 2 on Harmavoidance
on Blamescape on Abasement
op Dominance 3
op Aggression
op Affiliation 2
op Cognizance
n Exposition 2 n Achievement 2
n Nurturance
n Succorance
n Passivity 2 n Counteraction 2 n Aggression 2 n Cognizance 2
p Task
4
3 3
4 3 3
M7 (8) This young fellow is going away to the army and his mother is very sad about it. She has been expecting this and they have talked it all over. Now that the moment is here, neither knows just what to say. In silence she thinks of his youth- his birth and what he used to do as a little boy. She thinks of his late teens and the honors he got in high school. He thinks less of the past than of the future-and what it will be like in the army. He determines to make the best of it, and try to get the war over with as soon as possible so he can come back. Both stand there for a few minutes, and when he leaves he kisses her and walks away without saying anything.
8 ( 15) This is a man lying on his death bed. The other man is an enemy of his. He has been the cause of his death and is glad he has gone because he hates him in- wardly. He gave the impression that he was his friend. He has his hand in the air,
3 3
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533
not to touch him but as a relief of emotion-just clenching his fist over him. These were both respectable men. (How do you mean? ) They were businessmen, not gangsters. They were competitors in business and were both from the same social group. The dying man has felt no tension between them; its all in the other fellow. The dying man's wife had this fellow come in to sit with him for a few minutes. Now that his competitor has gone, he will have more confidence in himself and more esteem in the community.
n Aggression 3 n Rejection 4 n Achievement 3 n Acquisition
n Recognition
p Affiliation 2 p Death of Object 4 p Deference 3
3 3
9 (7) This is a mother and son at home; I say that because of the pictures on the wall. Both are sad. Something has happened in the family. It's a large family of ten or twelve children. (p) One of the brothers has just gotten in trouble; he stole something. This is a respectable, religious family. The mother makes them go to church. The boy is in jail and they have heard the news. The whole family is sitting around the living room, but in this picture we can see only the two. Both seem to have the same thoughts-the reputation of the family. The boy who committed the crime can't understand why he did it. Though not rich, they had a fairly nice home and enough food; there was just no reason why the boy should do a thing like that. Since he is one of the family they will of course try to help him. They try to pun- ish him in some way, probably by being cool to him, not speaking. (How old is he?
High-scoring women, like low-scoring women, tell stories in which the woman is the more dependent. However, the intensity of the personal rela- tionships is usually not as great in "high" stories as in "low" stories. Prejudiced women more often elaborate descriptions of disastrous situational factors, such as personal affliction or threat from the physical environment, that prompts the woman to seek the aid of the man, or, sometimes, they imagine
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such dangers confronting the husband. Stories of a husband or son leaving for the army are often accompanied by an expression on the part of the woman of fearfulness lest the man be harmed. Several of the high scorers' stories of the man's return from war describe his afflictions. (p Affliction: Low scorers 3, High scorers w; p Physical Danger: Low scorers 6, High scorers I 6).
(p Death, p Affliction directed at male figure): The man is leaving for war. She fears that he will be killed or injured and that she will never see him again: (or) He has just come back from war, severely injured. (3: Low scorers 3, 5; High scorers 5? II. ) .
Both prejudiced and unprejudiced women apparently fantasy a role of de- pendency upon their male partners. However, in the case of the high-scor- ing women, the relationships involve less intensity of personal feelings than is found in those of the low scorers. The commonly fantasied death and injury to the man, in stories of the prejudiced subjects, suggest that un- derlying hostilities are present that prevent expression of more genuine affection.
PICTURE F5. The woman in this picture is usually described as sad by both low- and high-scoring women. She is experiencing feelings of guilt, fear, and/or shame. There is a small group of subjects, mainly low scorers, who minimize the intensity of the disphoric tone by saying that the heroine is only putting on an act, or that she has a temporary illness which she will soon overcome (4 low scorers, I high scorer). (It is interesting to note the similarity of the defense used by these women against masochistic behavior to that used by some of the low-scoring men against aggressive behavior. See discussion of stories told in response to Picture 8, below.
Other low scorers relate the girl's unhappiness to deprivation of love from her family or from a male sex object.
The story-teller identifies with a girl who is unhappy or anxious because she Is denied, or in danger of being denied, love and support from her husband or family. (Fs: Low scorers 5, 4; High scorers z, o. )
Subjects from both groups attribute the unhappy mood to the natural or accidental death of a relative (4low scorers, 6 high scorers). However, stories dwelling on the death scene are more often told by high scorers, themes of death or injury due to personal aggression are excessive among high as com- pared to low scorers (n Aggression: Low scorers, 8, High scorers 31). Many prejudiced women tell stories describing feelings of guilt and fear resulting from an aggressive act committed impulsively. The object of the hostile act is, in most cases, the husband or lover.
(on Aggression toward men): The heroine is overcome with grief because she has killed her husband or lover ill a fit of "passion" or "insanity" or she has just
I
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witnessed his death (the morbid details are elaborated). (Fs: Low scorers 3, 3;
High scorers 5, II? . ! . )
The low-scoring women again describe more real involvement in love relationships while the stories of high scorers are suggestive of the same underlying hostility toward men as was referred to previously. The identi- fication of the latter subjects with the aggressor is obscured by techniques of rejecting the heroine for committing the act, attributing the cause to a temporary or permanent mental affliction, or by an outcome of punishment for the crime.
The results of analysis of stories to Pictures 3 and F5 corroborate the find- ings of the interview data. The tendency of low scorers to emphasize love in sexual relationships, and to describe unhappiness resulting from depriva- tion of love, is apparent in material from both sources. The open admis- sion of fears of inadequacy by some low-scoring women, found in the inter- view data, may be related to fears of loss of lov~ suggested by some of the T. A. T. stories of low-scoring subjects.
Responses in the interviews were interpreted by the interview raters as indicating underlying disrespect for and resentment against men significantly more often in the case of high-scoring women than in the case of low scorers. The fact that, in the T. A. T. , high-scoring women more often than low scorers produce stories of aggressive action directed at men or of permanent injury or death imposed upon them, substantiates the interpretations of the interview responses. Although the hostility is not admitted directly in either case, both the T. A. T. and interview material strongly suggest that such a trend is latent in prejudiced women.
PICTURE 8. As in stories told in response to this picture by men, both high- and low-scoring women describe an active and a passive figure. The low scorers identify more often with the submissive role, the high scorers with the dominant role (n Abasement: Low scorers IS, High scorers 7; p Abasement: Low scorers 2, High scorers I I; n Dominance: Low scorers I6, High scorers 34).
The themes produced by low-scoring men, referred to above, are not as common in stories of low-scoring women. Reference to aggressive intent is less often referred to in the themes of these women. When an aggressive act is described, the story-teller usually rejects the aggressor (n Aggression: Low scorers 6, High scorers 8; on Aggression: Low scorers I2, High scorers 6). More often, the active person is described as nurturant and helpful. He is a doctor or a priest, aiding a sick man (sometimes by hypnosis) or saying a prayer over a dying man.
(p Affliction, p Death of Object~ n Nurturance): A doctor is treating a patient in a psychoanalytic session or through hypnosis: (or) A priest blesses a dead or condemned man, emphasizing the dying man's virtues, his life achievements, and
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their meaning for the future ~orld,and offering him hope for peace in the after- world. (8: Low scorers 6, 6; High scorers I, lYZ? )
High- more often than low-scoring women condemn the passivity of the reclining figure or give him little consideration except in so far as he serves as a tool of the hypnotist (n Passivity: Low scorers 14, High scorers 3; on Passivity: Low scorers 5, High scorers 10). Instead, they tend to identify with the active figure, who is often described as an exhibitionist and trickster. He seeks to control the actions of the other man, or to seduce an audience into believing in his superhuman powers. Some low scorers also describe a stage demonstration (n Recognition: Low scorers 14, High scorers 11; on Recognition: Low scorers o, High scorers 6) but the exploitive element is usually absent in their stories.
(n Dominance-Recognition): The hypnotist seeks the admiration of an audience, or of the man he is hypnotizing, for his powers to impose his will upon another. The audience is belittled as foolish for being "taken in. " (8: Low scorers I , o; High scorers 6, 3Yz. )
These differences in story content again suggest that the low scorers are more likely to empathize in emotional situations than are the high scorers. The latter often appear to be disdainful of passive individuals or of those who react affectively. The comparative inability of the prejudiced women to deal with their own emotions (see Chapter XI) is probably basic to this rejection of emotion in others.
PICTURE 10. Identification is with the one portrayed figure, who is some- times identified as a boy, sometimes as a girl, and in a few cases, as a woman. The religious theme is somewhat more readily responded to by low-scoring women than by low-scoring men. (The blandness of the responses by many of the men was discussed above. ) However, aside from one type of "high" story which projects external aggressive force, stories by high-scoring women tend to reflect very little involvement in the story content.
The most common expression of low-scoring women concerns an in- ternalized religion in which the hero appears humble and awed by the natural environment and stimulated to thought, creativity, and love of his fellow man (n Achievement: Low scorers 20, High scorers 1 I; n Deference: Low scorers 37, High scorers 20; n Nurturance: Low scorers 24, High scorers I4; n Sentience: Low scorers 30, High scorers I I; n Understanding: Low scorers 12, High scorers 7).
(n Sentience, n Deference, n Understanding): The hero is considering the prob- lem of what religion, life, God really mean. Religion and/or music serves to give him emotional support, peace, and serenity. He is sensitive, imaginative, thoughtful, gets real enjoyment from playing the violin. (10: Low scorers 6, 12; High scorers I, 3? )
The stories of high-scoring women are less intense. Many relate merely
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what is portrayed in the picture, sometimes making more concrete the vague picture structure.
The story is bland, consisting of picture description only, and being devoid of any creativity or sentience; e. g. , it is stated that the hero is playing the violin in church. He imagines he sees a vision of Christ. ( ro: Low scorers 3, z12; High scorers 9, 4:t2. )
Expressions of the meaning of religion to the individual are in terms of "giving oneself up to" religion rather than integrating it for everyday ap- plication. Stories are related in which the hero, as a result of inflicted suffer- ing, becomes a believer, allowing religious direction to decide his actions (p Affliction: Low scorers 7, High scorers 14; p Death of Object: Low scorers 7, High scorers 12).
(p Affliction, p Death ~ n Succorance): The hero or a member of his family is afflicted by a dreaded disease. He turns to God in the crisis and is reminded of the suffering of Christ. (ro: Low scorers r12, z; High scorers 3, ro. )
These findings offer further evidence of the greater sensitivity and need for understanding of the low scorers. That these qualities are incorporated into religious attitudes more often by low than by high scorers, was indicated by the differences between "high" and "low" responses to a questionnaire item concerning the importance of religion and the church (see Chapter VI), a finding which suggested a greater tendency in low scorers to have an internalized religion.
Findings from the questionnaire and from the interviews (see Chapter XVIII) suggest that the high scorers seek religion as something to which they can cling in defense against their own impulses and the threats of the mysterious supernatural.
3? Comparison of Stories Told by Low and High Scorers (Men and Women) to Pictures Depicting Minority Group Members. We expected Pictures 2, 4, 6, and 9 to elicit further information about the way in which high as compared with low scorers conceptualize the social roles of various
group members. The results tend to substantiate other findings regarding at- titudes of these two groups, but they did not differentiate the high and low scorers as sharply as did the pictures from the Murray series.
W e had expected the low scorers to identify more closely with the charac- ters shown in these pictures and to attribute more constructive behavior to them than would the high scorers. We had thought that the high scorers would view the characters more distantly, reject them more often, and tend to endow them with those traits of behavior for which these subjects had, in their interviews, condemned minority group members. As a matter of fact, since the pictures themselves were so expressive, both high and low scorers often describe the picture (the environmental situation) rather than tell a real story about it. They project less into the story than was the case with
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525 the stories elicited by the Murray pictures. In many cases there was no real clue as to what extent the subject identified with the person in the picture. There was often no clear-cut expression of acceptance or rejection of the heroes, because the test instructions did not call for expression of atti-
tudes.
The problem of identification was complicated by the explicitness of the
activity in the picture. It was clear in most cases that our subjects did not closely identify with the slum area in Picture 4 or the crime aspect of Picture 6. In response to Picture 6, description of antisocial behavior, more specifically of aggression, can hardly be called projective and is certainly "pulled" by the picture itself. Many low scorers as well as high scorers reject any aggres- sive acts. The difference between rejecting the act and rejecting the person committing the act was not always apparent in the short themes produced by our subjects. Pictures 2 and 9 also, because of their lack of equivocality, limit the amount of projectivity possible. However, the overlapping is more in the area of both low and high scorers' identifying with socially acceptable activity-activity that is clearly "pulled" by the picture.
PICTURE 2. Certain differences, however, are apparent. The most common story told to Picture 2 is one in which both figures are described as "zoot- suiters" or young "jitterbugs. " Often our subjects, both high and low scorers, describe them as belonging to a minority group, usually Mexican or Negro. High scorers, men and women alike, more often than low scorers, reject the characters. They consider these people as immoral and antisocial. The men tend to reject them for their sensuality and for their carefree attitude, some- times describing them as "too sexy" and "too playful" (on Sex: Low scorers r, High scorers w; on Play: Low scorers o, High scorers ro. ) The high- scoring women condemn them for their offensive exhibitionism (on Recogni- tion: Low scorers 2; High scorers 14) and rebelliousness (on Aggression: Low scorers o, High scorers 8; on Autonomy: Low scorers 3, High scorers I 5)?
(on Aggression, Autonomy): Because the parents have not been strict enough with the girl, have not given her a sufficient amount of direction and guidance, the girl has gotten into trouble, has done wrong. The story proceeds with an attempt to put her on the right path, to teach her to do the "right thing. " (2: Low- scoring women o, r; High-scoring women 3, 5? . ! . )
(on Play, Recognition, Excitance, Sex): The story-teller rejects the characters because of the clothes they are wearing (e. g. , "I dont like people who wear that kind of clothes so that they can draw attention to themselves. ") or they condemn them as an inferior kind of individual (e. g. , "They are disrespectful citizens. " "Typ- ical zootsuiters," "criminal type," "typical jitterbugs who hang around the U. S. O. " "They are the kind who won't ever accomplish anything. ") They are accused of being noisy, antisocial, exhibitionistic, lacking seriousness. (2: Low-scoring men 2, 3; High-scoring men 4, 8; Low-scoring women 2, 2; High-scoring women 10? . ! , ro1:]. )
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Low scorers tell stories with similar content, but the men in this group more often identify with sensuality and playfulness and the women more often with the exhibitionistic and rebellious aspect of the picture than do the high scorers (Men-n Sex: Low scorers 18, High scorers 19, not dif- ferentiating; n Excitance: Low scorers r6, High scorers s; n Play: Low scorers 34, High scorers 21. Women-n Autonomy: Low scorers 12, High scorers 2; n Aggression: Low scorers 12, High scorers 2; n Play: Low scorers 40, High scorers 2 2 ; n Recognition: Low scorers 2 5 , High scorers 14).
(n Play, n Sentience, n Sex, n Affiliation): The couple in the picture are out on a date having a good time, and finding real enjoyment in dancing or watching others dance. The subject is identified with the heroes and the needs expressed. ("They love to dance. " "They are happy together. " "They are having fun. " "This is a real pleasure for them. ") This thema often is combined with success of n Recognition. They have won a dance contest, are happy that they were awarded the prize, and are having their pictures taken. (2: Low-scoring men 8, II; High-scoring men 7, 6; Low-scoring women 9~, 7; High-scoring women 6, 4. )
A few high- and low-scoring subjects of both sexes place these characters in a situation in which social pressure demands that they give up their rebel- lious ways and conform. However, instead of condemning the rebellious youngsters, as the high scorers do, low scorers often attribute the behavior to a logical resistance to the demoralization that is likely to result from "racial" prejudice; and they usually conclude by saying, in effect, that in growing up the young people will learn to cope with the situation in more constructive ways.
Apparently the mechanism of projection operates in the T. A. T. situa- tion in a fashion that is similar to what has already been suggested as a factor determining some of the interview responses. It is those more primitive, un- sublimated forms of expression so often found in their fantasies (see stories told in response to Pictures Ms and Fs) that the high scorers project onto members of minority groups. Those desires within themselves which remain unsatisfied tend to be magnified and rejected in others whom they suspect of satisfying the same desires. It also becomes understandable why high scorers, both men and women, should reject the independence and non- conformity of the young people in Picture 2 when we remember that these subjects employ submissiveness as a means for denying underlying hostile feelings. Thus, we often find the high scorers defending their own submissive- ness by condemning as brazen the lack of submission suggested by the de- picted clothing and by what they interpret to be a defiant smile of enjoyment.
PICTURE 4? Stories told in response to Picture 4 by low scorers are, on the whole, more intense than stories told by high scorers. Low scorers tend to deal with realistic problems that face persons living in a slum area, such problems as how to earn a living, how to adapt to or to alter the poverty of the surroundings. Low-scoring women often describe thoughts and feel-
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527
ings of the hero regarding his own life and his relation to society and social goals.
(n Cognizance, n Nurturance): The hero is a philosopher thinking of mankind, of life's pleasures or inconsistencies. He strives to contribute to social betterment or to counteract social injustice directed at society as a whole or toward a particular social group or toward a friend. (4: Low-scoring women 4, 212; High-scoring women 212, 2. )
(n Cognizance, n Abasement-intrapunitive type): The hero is ashamed of his past actions and his past egocentrism. He envies the life of the poorer people who allow themselves to enjoy more sensual and passive activity. He decides that he, too, would like to enjoy such a life. (4: Low-scoring women 4, 5; High-scoring women :Y2, o. )
The high scorers more often label the central character as a "typical East- sider" or as a "greedy Jewish businessman. " They also tend to reject the lack of order and cleanliness in the presented environment.
(on Aggression, on Acquisition): The hero is rejected as a "typical Eastsider," a "greedy Jewish businessman," "a queer duck," or as a criminal, or a beggar. He is up to no good. The rejected hero is about to commit a crime or has just committed a crime. He is disguised or hiding out. (4: Low-scoring men 212, 212; High-scoring men 4, 3~. ) (4: Low-scoring women 4, 2:l,f! ; High-scoring women 8, 5. )
High-scoring women again exhibit a tendency to project failure, afflic- tion, and death upon a father figure.
(p Failure, p Loss, p Death and/or p Affliction ~ n Succorance): The hero has spent his whole life seeking success. He is now very sad, feels defeated (because he has lost all his money, friends, status, or because he never had any money, status, friends, or because he is old and sick. ) (4: Low-scoring women o, o; High-scoring women 2, 3. )
(p Physical Danger, p Aggression): The hero is a victim of an aggressive or rejective press, enforced on him by the human or physical environment. (4: Low- scoring women o, o; High-scoring women 3, 312. ) ,
These differences in the story content reflect the ethnic prejudice of the high scorer and the contrasting concern of the low scorer over the welfare of society and the individual's role in that society.
That no further dif- ferentiation between the two groups was found in the present instance might well have been due to the comparative lack of ambiguity in the structure of the picture.
PICTURE 6. Picture 6 is commonly interpreted as a suspect caught by the police. High scorers often reject the suspect and identify more closely with the police authority. The high-scoring men, especially, describe the man in custody as a dangerous criminal, a Negro or Mexican with an innately weak character. (Men-on Aggression: Low scorers q, High scorers 34; on Autonomy: Low scorers 7, High scorers r6. ) He may have been involved in a strike or race riot for which he is condemned by the story-teller. Subjects
? szB
telling stories in which the suspect is depicted in this manner usually identify with the dominant authoritarian figures who bring the situation under con- trol and protect an imagined white victim.
(on Autonomy, on Aggression~n Dominance): The hero is rejected. He has committed a serious crime and the police have caught him. There is often some identification with the police. The suspect is described as a weak character, a Mexican or Negro, a dangerous person, or a person under the influence of alcohol; he is finally punished for his actions. (6: Low-scoring men 7, 7; High-scoring men 13, 13. )
Low scorers, in contrast, tend to identify more with the captured prisoner. They are more likely to attribute the cause of the act committed to a justified protest against social rejection or exploitation; i. e. , the man has either been striking for higher wages or fighting race prejudice. The attitude of the hero is usually a combination of fear and defiant rebellion.
(p Dominance~ n Autonomy, n Achievement, n Exposition): The story-teller identifies with a hero who has been involved in a strike or race riot or some petty crime. The police have caught him and have him under their control. The expres- sion of Autonomy and Aggression by the hero is a counteractive measure, fighting against an explicitly defined or implied social dominance or rejection (i. e. , employer exploitation, or race prejudice). (6: Low-scoring women 7, 9; High-scoring women o, 3? )
(p Dominance, Aggression~ n Harmavoidance, n Abasement or n Autonomy): The hero has been involved in a strike or race riot or some petty crime. The police have caught him and are unduly hard on him. He is afraid but tries to resist. How- ever, he gives up his resistance when he finds that it would be of no value. (6: Low- scoring men 8, 7; High-scoring men 4, 4. )
Here again the most important differences between stories of high and those of low scorers reflect their attitudes toward minority groups. The projection of instinctual desires upon a rejected individual, one of the common defenses of the high-scoring individuals, is apparent in the T. A. T. as in their more direct verbalizations of prejudices.
PICTURE 9? The portrayed characters in Picture 9 are seldom openly rejected. The high scorers find it difficult to reject them because they appear as "clean," or "neat," and seem to be acting in a socially acceptable way. High scorers often state explicitly, or imply by the uniqueness they give to the story content, that these Negroes are different from most Negroes.
Both high- and low-scoring subjects customarily begin their stories by describing the characters as "grandmother" and "grandson. " Both groups often say that the two people are having their picture taken. Although sub- jects from both groups attribute scholastic accomplishments to the boy, for the high scorers the accomplishments mean achieving a status that is only slightly above the slave position that they attribute to the other members of the family. The low scorers, who apparently identify more closely with the
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529
Negro boy, project their own desires for success. They do not, as do the high scorers, limit the success to a minimum amount, implying inferior capacity on the part of the Negro.
Some of the low-scoring women emphasize the positive relationship be- tween the grandmother and grandson.
(p Succorance~n Nurturance): The grandmother and grandson are fond of each other and are proud to be together. She is helping the boy to solve a problem or reach a decision. She is encouraging the boy to go on to further learning and achievement. She is teaching the boy or is explaining something to him. (9: Low- scoring women z, s; High-scoring women o, %. )
Some of the subjects, high and low scorers of both sexes, interpret Picture 9 as two people watching something. For the low scorers it is more com- monly an enjoyable artistic performance. (Men-n Sentience: Low scorers 37, High scorers I6. Women-n Sentience: Low scorers 33, High scorers I1. ) The high scorers emphasize unpleasant scenes involving death and affliction (Men-p Affliction: Low scorers 4, High scorers 10; p Death-object: Low scorers 3, High scorers 8; p Aggression: Low scorers I I, High scorers I6. W omen-p Affliction: Low scorers 7, High scorers q ; p Death-object: Low scorers 7, High scorers I4; p Aggression: Low scorers II, High scorers I6).
(p Physical Danger, p Dominance~ n Abasement-Submission): An unpleasant scene presents itself; or an authoritarian figure representing police, a parent, or another socially dominant figure is demanding that the hero conform to his will. (9: Low-scoring men 4, z%; High-scoring men 6, 3%. )
Here again, low scorers express greater involvement in interpersonal re- lationships and more sensitivity to pleasurable stimuli in the environment than do high scorers; whereas the high scorers tend to be more concerned with environmental threats.
C. THE T. A. T. s OF MACK AND LARRY
An examination of the T. A. T. stories produced by Mack and Larry will illustrate in detail the present approach to the scoring and interpretation of this material; it will show how, in concrete cases, some of the differences be- tween high- and low-scoring men are manifest, and it will at the same time add something to the developing pictures of these two men.
These two cases were not chosen as those best suited for demonstrating the contribution of the T. A. T. to an understanding of "high" and "low" per- sonality structures. The stories of Mack and Larry are used, rather, as a part of our plan for following these two men through all of our procedures; this means that from the point of view of one concerned solely with the T. A. T. , the selection of illustrative cases is entirely random. This is probably
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a good thing, for it will be clear that we are not dealing here with dramatic instances of the T. A. T. at its best, but with virtues and faults and difficul- ties which appe4r in its ordinary application. .
In the previous discussion we have spoken only of trends in the stories of low and high scorers; it is not to be expected that all of these trends will appear in the record of any one individual. In examining the stories of Mack and Larry we shall be concerned with the particular combinations of trends that appear to be consistent with the responses of these two subjects on the Ethnocentrism scale, and we shall point out those trends which appear to be inconsistent with the E-scale scores. This analysis will be carried out against the background afforded by the preceding pages of this chapter.
Presented below are the verbatim records of the stories produced by Mack and by Larry in response to our regular set of ten pictures. The two sets of stories were obtained by the same (male) examiner. The figure in parenthesis immediately following the number of the picture indicates the elapsed time, in seconds, between the presentation of the picture and the subject's begin- ning of his story. The examiner's questions are given in parenthesis within the body of the story. The notation (Q-o) refers to a question about the outcome of the story, e. g. , "How does it turn out," (Q-m) to a request for elaboration or explanation of what the subject said immediately before, and (p) indicates a pause on the part of the subject.
After each story the ratings (on the I -5 scale) of the needs and press in the story are given. Tabulation of these ratings appear at the end of each set of stories.
The analyses of the stories, which follow the presentation of the tabulated ratings, were "blind" in the sense that the analyst was not familiar with any of the other material on these two subjects. All that was known was that Mack scored high, and Larry low, on the E scale. If these analyses accord well with what is already known about these subjects, and, more particularly, with the clinical material to be given later, they will constitute evidence in favor of the validity of the T. A. T.
1. LARRY'S STORIES
M 1 ( 5) It looks like a father and son. The son is a criminal and the father is ashamed of him. He has a look of sympathy and not hatred. He is probably in prison and is facing the electric chair. The father thinks of how much he has done for the son and can't understand why the son did it. The son is in the death cell and the father is seeing him for the last time. They had been talking but have now reached the stage where all they can do is to just think. The guard comes along and leads the son away.
n Aggression 3 n Nurturance 2 n Abasement 4 n Blamavoidance :z n Deference
p Nurturance 2
p Dominance
p Aggression 2 p Exposition 2 p Claustrum 2
3
? M5
THE THEMA TIC
n Cognizance
APPERCEPTION TEST
p Death of Object z
531
2 n Exposition 2
n Succorance on Rejection
3
2 (8) This is a picture of zootsuiters. They seem to be in a prison line-up; they were involved in a crime. They are either confident or trying not to show fear. The latter is probably more true. A gang is standing around them. This gang got together and went to stealing and they are now being taken up for investigation. They are pretty sure of being released to go home because it will be hard for the police to get anything on them. (Are they guilty? ) Yes, they are but they have been able to cover up. They continue with their petty crimes.
n Autonomy 2 n Affiliation 2 n Aggression 3 n Acquisition 2 n Blamescape 3
on Succorance
p Aggression 2 p Dominance 3 p Affiliation 2
3 (10) This is a father and mother grieving over the loss of a son in the war. They have just received word of his death. He was their only son. They are just thinking and saying nothing. The mother thinks of the son, and the father thinks of the mother to comfort her. He thinks of their life together and how it will be changed now. They had been very happy about the accomplishments of their son. They can't bear to think of the tragic end. Neither are crying, so they will con- tinue to make the best of it and will keep a stiff upper lip.
n Succorance 4 _ n Cognizance 2 n Passivity 3
p Succorance 2 p Death of object 4 p Affiliation 2
n Nurturance
3 n Affiliation 2
on Achievement 2
4 (12) This woman is a peddler. The man is a rich banker who is walking through the slums of New York. He is on his way home. He doesn't want to be snobbish and not touch the people. He feels out of his neighborhood. The woman is right at home here. Each goes his own way in sort of contrast of two lives-the rich and the poor. He walks this way on his way home from work each day, and does his best not to be too personal with any of them. He just wants to know what's going on for business reasons.
3 p Uncongenial Environment 3 3 p Lack 3 p Gratuity 3
n Acquisition n Seclusion
n Rejection
n Cognizance
(6) This is a young fellow who drinks a lot. His clothes are all messed up. In a dingy hotel room, he feels he has lost all of his friends. He thinks all of the troubles of the world are on his shoulders. He contemplates suicide. The trouble is with a woman he had an affair with. He doesn't know whether to injure her or destroy himself. (Q-m) To kill her or commit suicide. She isn't much good herself,
3 p Task 2 on Rejection 2
? n Abasement 4 n Succorance 3 n Aggression 4 n Sex 4 n Affiliation
n Counteraction 2 n Nurturance
n Understanding
n Rejection 2
p Uncongenital Environment 3 p Sex 2 p Rejection 4 p Death of Object 2
THE AUTHORITARIAN PERSONALITY
532
and he isn't too much better. He is in a mixed up mental state. He is pausing there to make some decision. (p) (Q-o) He will try to get revenge on the woman. (Re- venge for what? ) He has been going with her and giving her money and thinks of marrying her. She fools him and is unfaithful, going around with other men. He kills her.
6 (zo) This is a man caught in an alley by the police, just before commmmg some crime. The police were called and he is surprised. He tries to get away but the police have the upper hand. He is frightened for fear they will use their sticks. He is probably a man with a family-a good wife and two or three children. He is a no good, just working once in a while. He steals when he can and keeps it from his wife. (Q-m) She is a good woman and doesn't know he is that type of person. Since he has been caught, he knows she will find it all out. For this reason, he would like to get away from the police, but is afraid if he tries he will get shot. He just backs against the wall and lets himself get caught.
on Aggression 3 on Autonomy 2 on Acquisition 3 on Succorance 2 on Harmavoidance
on Blamescape on Abasement
op Dominance 3
op Aggression
op Affiliation 2
op Cognizance
n Exposition 2 n Achievement 2
n Nurturance
n Succorance
n Passivity 2 n Counteraction 2 n Aggression 2 n Cognizance 2
p Task
4
3 3
4 3 3
M7 (8) This young fellow is going away to the army and his mother is very sad about it. She has been expecting this and they have talked it all over. Now that the moment is here, neither knows just what to say. In silence she thinks of his youth- his birth and what he used to do as a little boy. She thinks of his late teens and the honors he got in high school. He thinks less of the past than of the future-and what it will be like in the army. He determines to make the best of it, and try to get the war over with as soon as possible so he can come back. Both stand there for a few minutes, and when he leaves he kisses her and walks away without saying anything.
8 ( 15) This is a man lying on his death bed. The other man is an enemy of his. He has been the cause of his death and is glad he has gone because he hates him in- wardly. He gave the impression that he was his friend. He has his hand in the air,
3 3
? THE THEMA TIC APPERCEPTION TEST
533
not to touch him but as a relief of emotion-just clenching his fist over him. These were both respectable men. (How do you mean? ) They were businessmen, not gangsters. They were competitors in business and were both from the same social group. The dying man has felt no tension between them; its all in the other fellow. The dying man's wife had this fellow come in to sit with him for a few minutes. Now that his competitor has gone, he will have more confidence in himself and more esteem in the community.
n Aggression 3 n Rejection 4 n Achievement 3 n Acquisition
n Recognition
p Affiliation 2 p Death of Object 4 p Deference 3
3 3
9 (7) This is a mother and son at home; I say that because of the pictures on the wall. Both are sad. Something has happened in the family. It's a large family of ten or twelve children. (p) One of the brothers has just gotten in trouble; he stole something. This is a respectable, religious family. The mother makes them go to church. The boy is in jail and they have heard the news. The whole family is sitting around the living room, but in this picture we can see only the two. Both seem to have the same thoughts-the reputation of the family. The boy who committed the crime can't understand why he did it. Though not rich, they had a fairly nice home and enough food; there was just no reason why the boy should do a thing like that. Since he is one of the family they will of course try to help him. They try to pun- ish him in some way, probably by being cool to him, not speaking. (How old is he?
